This invention generally relates to folding seats for one or more persons. In particular, the invention relates to folding seats adapted for use on boats.
Marine craft are exposed to a wide variety of harsh environmental conditions, and the limited available space necessitates an efficient deck layout. It is common for many boat components to be removable or adjustable to provide more deck space or to facilitate cleaning, storage and protection from the elements. A standard seat assembly for marine use generally consists of a horizontal seat with a padded upper surface, affixed at the rear edge to a bulkhead, transom or other vertical wall surface, generally with support stanchions supporting the front edge of the seat on the deck of the boat. The seat can usually be removed if desired, or the rear edge of the seat may be affixed to the wall by one or more hinges. To move the seat away from a horizontal position, the support stanchions, if any, are removed and the seat is pivoted downward so that the seating portion, or top, of the seat is vertical and faces the interior of the cockpit.
This type of hinged seat, however, can have problems because the depth, back to front, of many such seats is nearly equal to the height of the seat above the deck. As these seats pivot from a horizontal to a vertical position, the front edge of the seat arcs down and rearward, to a position close to the deck. This is undesirable because the seat will then be subject to various hazards which may be on the deck of the boat, for example, water, fishing tackle, scuba gear and the like. The seat is also much more likely to be inadvertently struck by a passenger""s feet, creating a tripping hazard in addition to subjecting the seat to possible damage. Furthermore, it can be difficult to remove seats which are hinged in this manner.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a folding seat assembly which can pivot from a horizontal to a vertical position while at the same time being displaced upward, away from the deck, and rearward, toward the wall, so that the cushioned portion of the seat, when vertical, faces the interior of the boat rather than the wall to which it is mounted. It is further desirable to provide a seat assembly which can be readily removed for storage or cleaning.
The present invention is directed to a seat which is pivotally mounted to a stationary surface, e.g., a wall, by means of at least one hinge assembly, thereby enabling the seat to be folded. The hinge assembly provides an upward and rearward movement as the seat pivots from a horizontal to a vertical orientation during folding. The hinge assembly has a seat mounting bracket mounted to the lower surface of the seat and a wall mounting bracket mounted to the wall. The seat mounting bracket is connected to the wall mounting bracket via a pair of pivoting arms. Each pivoting arm is pivotally connected at one end to the wall mounting bracket and at an opposite end to the seat mounting bracket. The pivot locations are selected such that as the arms pivot in a clockwise direction, the seat mounting bracket pivots in a counterclockwise direction. The pivoting arms can pivot only in a vertical direction, and serve to guide the seat upward from a lower position to a relatively higher position, the seat at the same time being pivoted from a horizontal position to a vertical position, and vice versa.
With a higher position on the wall, the seat can be safely used by passengers leaning against the top surface of the seat rather than against the wall. This also lessens the risk of passengers tripping on or kicking the seat. The boat can additionally accommodate more passengers within the available deck space, while providing comfort via the padding of the vertical seat surface.
In addition, the seat can be slid off of the hinge assemblies by the simple expedient of lifting the seat straight upward when the seat is in the upright, i.e., folded position. The seat is coupled to the hinge assemblies by mating elements which slidably couple to each other, one element receiving a portion of the other element in an opening which is closed at one end to stop downward movement of the seat when the seat is slid back on.
The hinge assembly disclosed herein can be employed singly or in groups. For example, one hinge assembly could be used to support a single seat, while two or more hinge assemblies can be used to support a seat or bench designed to hold more than one person. Although the preferred embodiment is disclosed in connection with a seat mounted to a wall of a boat, the person skilled in the art will recognize that employment of hinge assemblies constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment is not limited to seats on boats or seats mounted to walls. For example, these hinge assemblies could also be used to support folding seats on trains or folding seats which are mounted on a post instead of on a wall.